Auburn football had its chances on Saturday, but it did not slow down No. 17 Tennessee enough to escape Knoxville with an SEC win.
Auburn led Tennessee 7-3 at halftime and went on to outgain the Volunteers in the second half, 259-198, but costly Auburn turnovers and penalties, as well as a shift in game plan by Tennessee, became the deciding factor. Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel elected to switch quarterbacks late in the first half, which provided a jolt to the Tennessee offense, and running back Desean Bishop turned on the jets by rushing for 150 of his 220 yards in the final 30 minutes to lead the Vols to a 24-14 win in Neyland Stadium.
Despite the tough loss, several players stood tall and performed at a high level, which kept Auburn in
the game. Here are the Tigers of the Game from Auburn football's 24-14 loss to Tennessee on Saturday.
Taylor Jones: Byrum Brown
Brown did not have his best game, but despite committing three turnovers, he still put the team on his back by producing 266 of Auburn's 345 offensive yards and scoring both of Auburn's touchdowns. Brown passed for 159 yards and rushed for 107, which marks the first time this season he has reached double digits in both categories.
Phillip Jordan: Xavier Atkins
It was a typical day at the office for Xavier Atkins, who led the team with 11 tackles on Saturday. He also set Auburn up for its first score of the game by picking off Tennessee quarterback Faizon Brandon in the second quarter, leading to Byrum Brown rumbling and stumbling seven yards to the end zone to push Auburn ahead, 7-3.
Jac Myrick: Elijah Melendez
Arguably the most consistent player on Auburn's defense is linebacker Elijah Melendez, and he proved it again on Saturday. Melendez finished second on the team in tackles (9) and tackles for loss (2). Melendez is up to 43 total tackles this season and has logged nine tackles in three of Auburn's five games.
Fan vote: Xavier Atkins
Auburn fans have spoken, and they have chosen Xavier Atkins as the Tiger of the Game in Auburn's 24-14 loss to Tennessee on Saturday. Atkins won 67% of the vote, beating out Elijah Melendez, Byrum Brown, and Da'Shawn Womack for the honor. To have a say in who wins Tiger of the Game next, head over to Auburn Wire on X to cast your vote following every Auburn football game.
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This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Tigers of the Game from Auburn's SEC loss to Tennessee
